What's Behind a Name
by GoldenMoon1997
Summary: It sure had been a rocky road, but over the years Colonel Roy Mustang had become a pro at reading his youngest subordinate. Parental!Roy/Ed (kind of)


**A/N:** I found this short piece lying around in my drive today and kind of liked it, so I decided to polish it up and publish. I guess you could say this is a headcanon of mine. I hope you enjoy it, and tell me what you think?

 **Disclaimer:** I might have spent time in farms growing up but not in any shape or form am I a master at milking cows. That's all Arakawa-sensei. That, and the ability to produce those amazing stories and characters we all know and love.

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 **~ What's Behind a Name ~**

 _By GoldMoon_

It sure had been a rocky road, but over the years Colonel Roy Mustang had become a pro at reading his youngest subordinate. From the first word, the man had Fullmetal's mood, his purpose of visit, his sincerity all figured out. What few would expect, though, would be the fact that it had little to do with the ability to actually read the boy's tones and expressions, and everything to do with the words he chose to express himself during a conversation.

To be more specific, it was how he started a sentence.

...

It was no secret that Edward had a foul mouth on him, just like it was a given that any low-ranked soldier situated at central command had, at one point, borne witness to one of the infamous spats between the two resident alchemists while running their errands. Edward had a variety of expletives he liked to bestow upon the older man, the most common being "Bastard" or, if he felt like being particularly sarcastic, "Colonel Bastard".

It was familiar enough, especially when it was screeched with explosive anger and indignation. It meant that Roy had managed to get under Ed's skin, yet _again_ , despite the supposed, newfound maturity of the boy. Or perhaps some things just didn't change?

Whatever the case, the yells and swears were pretty normal, which meant Edward was doing okay, he was healthy, and that he was irritated _a_ _s_ _Hell_.

...

Admittedly out of all the times Fullmetal managed to get himself landed in a hospital with a copious amount of injuries, it was those few times he barely had the strength to mouth off at the Colonel that had him actually worried.

...

"Mustang" was neutral grounds. It was as common as the unflattering titles, uttered when Ed dropped by the office and Roy actually managed to hold out against the temptation of winding him up, proceeded by a semi-professional conversation. Or the times he refrained from using adjectives implying of shortness and/or smallness of anything in general. It probably didn't happen as often as the Lieutenant would like.

What could he say? The kid's over-the-top reactions were too entertaining to pass up on. Paperwork was pretty boring, after all.

...

"Roy" was different. As few as they came, it was reserved only for those matters that had the utmost importance and had to be approached carefully. When the word spilled from the boy's lips, it meant that it was time to drop all the teasing and false bravado, to put the masks away. Words weren't twisted then, and information wasn't withheld. Plans were shared and a course of action was set.

They were _equals_. Two alchemists on an agenda.

...

The last one though, never failed to baffle the man. Not the word itself, but rather the meaning it presented, coming from the person it did.

"Colonel?"

Uttered in a subdued tone, free of any attached expletives, the formal title given to one's commanding officer gained a new meaning when used by Edward Elric, who was never known for his adherence when it came to the use of decorum. The Fullmetal Alchemist was anything but obedient, and he wasn't above using every opportunity to underline the fact that he was his own master. To remind others that he refused to be a dog of the military.

It was this fact that gave way to the weight that single word provided. It was the acceptance of a higher authority, the admittance that there existed someone who had power and responsibility over him. That no, he was not an adult yet, that it was okay to screw up, and that he wasn't always meant to have all the answers to every little problem.

It was the only time Edward would accept the role Roy Mustang had taken up in his life.

And ironically enough, the words that should have acted as a formal greeting and provided a distance between the commander and subordinate were, in this case, anything but.

It was ridiculous how easily Ed could turn a word's meaning upside down.


End file.
